Represented Staff General Salary Guidelines

PURPOSE

The purpose of these guidelines is to implement salary provisions for employees covered by collective bargaining agreements.

SCOPE

These guidelines apply to all staff employees covered by collective bargaining agreements. Application of specific provisions of these guidelines may be modified or may not be available for use depending on the specific bargaining agreement covering an employee. These guidelines do not apply to individuals hired as faculty, employees in designated confidential positions, employees hired as administrators in the Management Personnel Plan (MPP), or those in excluded classifications, e.g., student assistants, work-study, special consultants, etc.

Where the provisions of these guidelines are in conflict with the collective bargaining agreements reached pursuant to Chapter 12 (commencing with Section 3560) of Division 4 of Title I of the Government Code, the collective bargaining agreements shall take precedence.

DESIGNATION

Unless otherwise noted, the Vice President for Human Resources (HR) has been designated to act for the President in staff salary matters. Each Program Center Manager and/or Vice President may establish their own internal salary or budget control procedures and administrative processing or proposed salary adjustments.

I. INITIAL APPOINTMENT/HIRE

Level of pay for initial appointments to the University is determined through the consideration of several factors including: 1) salary range established for the position; 2) specific skills and experience required in the position; 3) level of skills, knowledge, abilities, and previous experience attained; 4) difficulty in recruiting for the position or for a similar position; 5) comparability with similar positions within the unit and the campus; 6) comparability with external labor market salary rates; and 7) availability of funds in the hiring unit.

For initial appointment to a staff position, selected candidates are usually appointed at the minimum of the salary range. Program Center Managers may approve, with written justification, a starting salary of no greater than 8% of the minimum of the salary range by submitting a “Request for Initial Staff Appointment (Off-Campus) Above Salary Range Minimum,” with justification relating to the factors noted above, to the appropriate Vice President. If the Vice President approves the request, it is forwarded to Human Resources for logging and retention. If the Program Center Manager requests a starting salary greater than 8% of the minimum of the salary range, and the appropriate Vice President approves the request, it is then forwarded to the Vice President for Human Resources for final consideration and approval as the President’s designee.

II. SALARY INCREASES

The timing, composition, and amount of salary increases are determined in collective bargaining and varies by bargaining unit.

General Salary Increase (GSI)
A GSI is a salary increase provided “across-the-board” to all employees when the salary range for the classification, or level, is increased through the collective bargaining process.

Merit Salary Increase (MSI)
A MSI is a discretionary salary increase granted for meritorious performance, as documented in the performance evaluation, up to the maximum salary rate of the performance range. Normally, when approved, a salary increase between 1% and 5% is granted in the annual MSI cycle. The President approves all MSI’s.

The awarding of the annual MSI cycle is contingent upon collective bargaining negotiations and the adoption of the state budget and is usually initiated in the fall following the completion of annual performance evaluations in May and June. Depending on the collective bargaining agreement, MSI’s may be lump sum or added to base pay.

Lump Sum Payment (Employee Bonus for Outstanding Performance at Salary Range Maximum)
This is a one-time bonus of a certain percentage of an employee’s annual salary provided to an employee who is being paid at the top of the salary range (performance maximum). It is a single payment for work performed above a satisfactory level. It does not increase the base salary of the employee. It may be funded from the annual MSI cycle allocation or at other times from department funds if allowed by the collective bargaining agreement. To initiate, the Program Center Manager shall prepare a MSI recommendation with specific detail on the justification for the request. All requests outside the annual MSI cycle shall be reviewed and endorsed by the Program Center Manager and forwarded to the Vice President for Human Resources for approval as the President’s designee.

Service Salary Increase (SSI)
The SSI is a salary increase provided to eligible bargaining unit employees on their anniversary date subject to completion of required qualifying months of service, satisfactory performance, and the SSI maximum. If negotiated through the bargaining process, the SSI will be implemented unless the Program Center Manager initiates a request to deny/stop the adjustment. To initiate a denial, the Program Center Manager shall address a memorandum to the employee providing notice of denial at the same time that a performance evaluation detailing the performance areas falling below expectations with a plan for improvement has been completed. A copy of both documents shall be submitted to HR for the Official Personnel File at least four (4) weeks prior to the anniversary date. This lead time is necessary to implement the denial before payroll cutoff deadlines.

III. SKILL/ASSIGNMENT RELATED SALARY ADJUSTMENTS

Salary adjustments often result from changes in appointment or assignment including reclassification, skill level change, promotion, and reassignment.

Promotion
A promotion is defined as a change of appointment to a classification or skill level with a higher salary range or sub-range as a result of a recruitment process. A salary increase of at least 5% or minimum of the salary range of the new classification (whichever is higher) is granted for the promotion. Without HR approval, Program Center Managers may approve an increase in base pay up to 8% or 8% above the minimum of the salary range (whichever is higher.) For employees in temporary assignments, reclassifications or in-classification progressions, the current salary base is defined as the salary of his/her regular position prior to the temporary action. If a salary increase above 8% as described above is requested, a “Request for Staff Promotion (On-Campus) Above Salary Range Minimum” form (with written justification) must be forwarded to the appropriate Vice President for approval. If the Vice President approves the request, it is forwarded to the Vice President for Human Resources for final consideration and approval.

Demotion
A demotion is defined as a change from the current classification to a classification or skill level with a lower salary range or sub-range (as determined by a 2.5% or greater difference in the maximum of the salary range) as a result of a recruitment process. Reclassifications to lower classifications follow the same salary actions as demotions through the recruitment process. The appropriate salary actions for demotions are defined in the relevant bargaining unit agreements. The CSUEU (Units 2, 5, 7, and 9) bargaining unit agreement addresses salaries for movement to lower classifications in articles 9.22 and 9.23. The APC (Unit 4) bargaining unit agreement addresses salaries for movement to classifications with lower salary ranges in articles 23.9 and 23.10. The SETC (Unit 6) bargaining unit agreement addresses salaries for movement to classifications in lower salary groups in article 24.10. These are subject to change based on collective bargaining. Provisions in bargaining unit agreements not addressed here must also be followed. In no case will the employee maintain the same salary or receive a salary increase upon demotion or reclassification to a lower classification level.

Reassignment
Reassignments occur in one of two categories:

Permanent lateral reassignment is a change in position from one classification (or classification and skill level) to another classification (or classification and skill level) with the same salary range in the same or another unit. Continuation of the same salary is appropriate.

Temporary assignment is defined as the assignment of new duties to an incumbent for a short period of time to meet emerging organizational needs which is not to exceed the timeframe outlined in the relevant Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

Temporary assignments may result in movement to a higher classification or skill level in two ways:

An employee may be temporarily assigned to step into another employee’s role and perform duties in a higher classification or skill level.

An employee may be temporarily assigned new duties, in addition to their current position description, which have been performed by an employee in a higher classification or skill level.

HR must first assess the level and complexity of the new assignment or the additional duties to determine whether a “temporary reclassification” and salary increase is appropriate or if the present classification and/or skill level remains appropriate. A temporary reclassification leads to a minimum five percent (5%) salary increase or movement to the minimum of the new salary range or skill level sub-range, whichever is higher.

Reclassification
The term “reclassification” refers to the movement from one classification to a higher classification. Reclassification changes occur when an employee’s position assignments or skills change significantly and, after submission to HR for classification review, a determination is made by HR that the changes warrant movement into a higher classification. Please note that employee performance is not a determining factor in the classification process. As a result of a classification review, it may become apparent that additional compensation is warranted for a significant addition of responsibilities that did not warrant movement to a higher classification. If this occurs, HR will consult with the Program Center Manager and make a recommendation. Procedures for requesting a review by HR are outlined in the “Information, Policy and Procedures” document that can be found on the Classification & Compensation website at http://www.csus.edu/hr/docs/classification/infopolicyprocedures.pdf. Reclassification requires a minimum five percent (5%) salary increase or movement to the minimum of the new salary range or skill level sub-range, whichever is higher. (Minimum percentage varies depending upon bargaining unit.) If collective bargaining unit agreement provisions are met, salary increase levels are not subject to the appeal process.

In-Classification Progressions (Skill Level within Classification)
The term “in-classification progression” refers to the movement from one skill level to a higher skill level within the same classification. In-classification changes occur when an employee’s position assignments or skills change significantly and, after submission to HR for classification review, a determination is made by HR that the changes warrant movement to a higher skill level. Not all CBA’s have skill level progression, and not all job series have been converted to skill level progression. Please note that employee performance is not a determining factor in the classification process. As a result of a classification review, it may become apparent that additional compensation is warranted for a significant addition of responsibilities that did not warrant movement to a higher skill level within the classification. If this occurs, HR will consult with the Program Center Manager and make a recommendation. Procedures for requesting a review by HR are outlined in the “Information, Policy and Procedures” document that can be found on the Classification & Compensation website at http://www.csus.edu/hr/classification/annualpgrm.htm. The skill level change requires a minimum five percent (5%) salary increase or movement to the minimum of the new skill level sub-range, whichever is higher. (Minimum percentage varies depending upon bargaining unit.) In making this determination, campus salary equity will be considered as a factor. If collective bargaining unit agreement provisions are met, salary increase levels are not subject to the appeal process.